Cisco Systems has retained the number one spot in Gartner’s global Supply Chain Top 25 for the second year running.
Agility in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives helped the company clinch the top spot.
Gartner said a “maturity differentiator” among purpose-driven organisations this year was those that were “not simply supporting a varied list of green initiatives and people-related programmes”, but instead “integrated these into a larger strategy alongside commercial partners”.
Colgate-Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson, Schneider Electric and Nestlé made up the rest of the top five – also unchanged since last year.
Mike Griswold, vice president team manager in the Gartner Supply Chain practice, said the pandemic meant “resiliency and agility capabilities became essential to survival”.
“Our ranking highlights companies that possess these strategies and other differentiating capabilities.”
He added: “Strong revenue growth, strength in ESG initiatives, and recognition of leadership in the community opinion polls drove Cisco to the top spot for the second consecutive year.
“Cisco’s agility helped them prioritise video conferencing and critical infrastructure capabilities for hospital and vaccine research.”
Four new companies have joined the list: Dell Technologies, Pfizer, General Mills, and Bristol-Meyers Squibb.
Meanwhile Reckitt Benckiser, Biogen, Kimberly-Clark, and H&M have been dropped.
Gartner introduced a “Masters” category in 2015 for companies that have remained in the top five for at least seven of the last 10 years. These remain Amazon, Apple, P&G, McDonald’s, and Unilever.
The ranking is based business performance, including revenue growth and inventory turns, and the opinion of peers.
“During times of disruption, these companies continue to lead by example and provide advanced lessons for the supply chain community,” said Griswold.
The Gartner 2021 Supply Chain Top 25:
1. Cisco Systems
2. Colgate-Palmolive
3. Johnson & Johnson
4. Schneider Electric
5. Nestlé
6. Intel
7. Pepsico
8. Walmart
9. L’Oreal
10. Alibaba
11. AbbVie
12. Nike
13. Inditex
14. Dell Technologies
15. HP Inc
16. Lenovo
17. Diageo
18. Coca-Cola Company
19. British American Tobacco
20. BMW
21. Pfizer
22. Starbucks
23. General Mills
24. Bristol-Myers Squibb
25. 3M
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